


i'm going to hell (but i ain't a sinner)

by PilotStudios



Series: Franky's Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Month [5]
Category: One Piece
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, False Accusations, Gen, Goodbyes, Hurt No Comfort, Not A Fix-It, Tom's Workers - Freeform, Whumptober 2020
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-26
Updated: 2021-01-26
Packaged: 2021-03-18 13:09:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,411
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28992702
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PilotStudios/pseuds/PilotStudios
Summary: Franky makes a decision, for better or worse. AU
Relationships: Franky & Iceburg (One Piece), Franky & Kokoro, Franky & Tom (One Piece)
Series: Franky's Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Month [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2013526
Kudos: 9
Collections: Whumptober 2020





	i'm going to hell (but i ain't a sinner)

**Author's Note:**

> this one is kind of a mess, plot-wise, but i like how it came out anyway. written for day 17 (wrongfully accused) of whumptober. find it on tumblr [here](https://flimflamfranky.tumblr.com/post/632269574930382848/day-17-wrongfully-accused)!

The crowd is laughing at him.

Those stupid idiots don’t believe him. They don’t even consider the possibility of the government playing fowl. Neither do the marines, or the judge, and Franky realizes, for the first time, how hopeless of their situation was. 

They were going to take Mr. Tom away. Iceburg was right. They were going to use the attacks to arrest Mr. Tom and take him away, and _it was going to be all Franky’s fault_.

He has to _do_ something.

Spandam laughs too. “We caught you and your associates on the ships, red-handed!!” A lie. Franky seethes.

Spandam continues, pointing his finger at them, accusatory and smug, acting like he’s already won. “And those rogue ships were built by _your_ company, were they not?”

And Franky realizes what he can do.

He shoots to his feet, and screams, “ _I_ BUILT THOSE SHIPS!!!”

“Franky, don’t-!”

Franky ignores Tom’s protest and steps forward, standing alone between the government and his mentor. Iceburg was right. They were his ships. He has to take responsibility. “It was _me_ ,” He says, glaring at the judge. “I built those ships, not them.”

There’s a snap of metal behind him, and then the crowd is screaming and Mr. Tom is grabbing him, and yelling, “Franky, you can’t-!”

Franky knows what Mr. Tom will do. There are two crimes to consider - his and Tom’s - and only one pardon. And he knows the choice Mr. Tom will make, and Franky can’t let him make it.

So, he screws his eyes close, and he screams.

He screams as loud as he can, drowning out Tom’s protests, and crowd’s panic, and Spandam’s stupid _lies_ , until all he can hear is the pounding of his heart. He doesn’t hear Tom and Iceburg’s desperate begging, or the click and fire of the guns, or the thud of Tom’s body as the tranquilizer take hold. He just screams and screams and _screams_.

It’s the government goons that finally shut him up. They dog-pile him, holding him down, as one clamps a hand over his mouth. Franky strains against them, panicked, because he can’t let Mr. Tom take the blame for him-!

“Stop!”

Franky stops. The judge is standing, leaning over his makeshift desk and staring down at Franky. Franky stares back, meeting his gaze with a determined glare. He had to keep the judge’s attention on him, and no one else.

The judge motions to the marines. “Release him.”

“But, sir-!”

“I said, release him!”

They do, but Franky remains quiet. He glances over at Mr. Tom. He’s down, unconscious, but still breathing. Franky feels guilty, but he’s glad - Mr. Tom won’t try to stop him, now. Iceburg is being held down, just like he had been, and he’s staring at Franky with wide-eyes. Franky looks away.

What is that idiot doing, looking all scared like that? Franky is trying to do the right thing, here.

The judge clears his throat. Franky looks up at him.

“Cutty Flam, was it?”

“I go by Franky,” he says, roughly. His throat hurts.

“Franky,” The judge amends. “Are you confessing to the attack on the judicial boat with those battleships?”

“Yes,” Franky says.

“See?” Spandam says, with a smug grin. Franky glares at him. “A confession! I told you they were the attackers! Now, arrest them all and-!”

“NO!” Franky lunges forward on instinct, but he’s held back by the marines. “It was just me! I’m the one responsible, not them!!”

“Like we’re going to believe _that_ ,” Spandam says. “We found them on the ships, so they’re obviously involved-!”

“Can’t you see their injuries?!!” Franky cuts him off, desperate. “They were trying to stop me!

“Ah, but there’s no way _one_ person could steer all those ships,” Spandam says, sneering. “Maybe you all got into an argument afterwards? Who knows with criminals.”

“That doesn’t make any sense!” Franky shouts. “I _built_ those ships! I know them better than anyone! If anyone could handle all those ships, it’d be me!!!”

“And why would we take the word of a criminal-!?”

“Stand down, CP5!” The judge snaps. Spandam flinches back in shock. The judge turns back to Franky. “So, you are claiming _sole_ responsibility for this attack?”

Franky nods. “Yes.”

"And you know what it is you are confessing to, correct?" 

"I do." 

The judge studies him, for a moment, and then he sighs, sitting back down wearily. “I have only one last question. Why? Why did you do it? Mr. Tom was going to be pardoned. This attack only made things worse. Just...why?”

This question he doesn’t even have to lie for.

“Because he never should’a been arrested in the first place,” Franky says. “I was so angry about it, and seeing the ship brought that all back. I just…it wasn’t fair.”

“…The world often isn’t,” The judge says. He bangs his gavel. “I have made my verdict. Cutty Flam, and _only_ Cutty Flam, is to be convicted for attacking the judicial ship. Tom, for building the sea train, will be pardoned of his original crime.”

“ _What_!?” Spandam splutters. “He’s obviously lying to protect his accomplices!! We need to arrest them all!”

“Based on what evidence?” The judge asks. “We have the creator of the ships, and the one who would know how to use them. The injuries on the others indicate they were victims, not perpetrator. We have no evidence to take them into custody.” The judge stands. “If you have any other concerns, you can address them at Enies Lobby, after an investigation is done. We’re done here.”

Spandam splutters some more, falling into a silent rage as his cronies surround him, trying to calm him down before he hurt himself.

“Er, your honor?” Franky calls out. The judge turns back, one eyebrow raised. “Can I…say goodbye, before I go?”

“Absolutely _not_ -!” Spandam screams.

“Sure,” The judge says, before turning back to the other government suits.

The marines lead him over to where Tom is. He is still unconscious but Kokoro and Iceburg are there. As soon as he gets close, Kokoro grabs him into a tight hug, sobbing into his shoulder, until the marines push her back.

“Oh, Franky,” She says, voice wobbling. “What have you _done_?”

“I’m sorry,” is all he can think to say. He drops his gaze to the ground, because he can’t stand to see her cry.

“You _idiot_ ,” Iceburg says. “Why…? Why would you…?” His voice is strained, and Franky can’t tell if it’s with anger or despair. He doesn’t really want to know which.

“I’m sorry,” he says again. “I’m just…fixin’ my own mistake, that’s all.”

Iceburg doesn’t say anything to that. Franky can’t look at him.

He looks down at Mr. Tom instead. He’s bang up and still bleeding, from the hole in his chest, but he’s a fish-man. He’ll fine, Franky is sure of that. He knows that what he did will hurt him, but it’s better than Tom taking the fall for him.

Franky doesn’t want to leave. He’s scared. But there was no other choice he could make. It doesn’t stop his throat from closing up or his eyes from stinging.

He swallows, thickly, and tries to keep his voice steady as he says, “Say good-bye to him, for me, yea?”

He doesn’t wait for a respond, and instead turns around and lets the marines take him away. He doesn’t look back. He knows it would hurt too much.

They take him back to Spandam, who is waiting, seething with rage. If there’s any silver lining to this, Franky thinks, it’s ruining that bastard’s plans. When they near, Spandam grabs him by the shoulder, roughly, and leans into his face.

“Don’t think that you’ve won this,” he hisses to Franky. “I will get those blueprints, and bring down your whole little company, and all this will have been for _nothing_.”

Franky glares up at him with grim sanctification. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Spandam makes a strangled noise of frustration, and his cronies have to grab him before his lunges. “Take him to the train!” Spandam shouts over them. “And don’t let him out of your _sight_!!”

 _This is for the best_ , Franky thinks, as he’s being lead away. _Whatever they do to me will be a thousand times better than letting them take Mr. Tom. This way, I’m the only one who suffers from my part in this_.

At least, he could take comfort in that.


End file.
